It is well recognized that carpeting is indeed a great asset with respect to homes, businesses and institutions. Carpeting serves as a protective floor covering as well as providing acoustical treatment generally making conditions far more tolerable to people involved therein.
Because of the particular nature of carpeting, it is virtually impossible for each homeowner and/or business or institution to have apparatus on hand to accomplish the cleaning necessary to retain the attractiveness and assure long life.
There is, of course, a greal deal of debate and disagreement as to whether or not the best way to clean a carpet is with an alkaline solution, a water solution or some other chemical mixture. It is also well known that a majority of supermarkets or the like in metropolitan areas have available for lease small portable carpet cleaning devices which allow the homeowner to scrub the carpet at far less expense than commercially available.
There is no question, however, but what there are many times when the only reasonable approach to a complete cleaning is to have an independent commercial cleaner come to the location of the carpet and perform the cleaning operation. There are several different methods whereby a carpet may be cleaned. Industrial type machines which approximate on a large scale those machines that are available for lease in the local supermarket and utilize chemical cleaning solutions are perhaps best known. Another very popular method of cleaning carpet is the utilization of a steam or hot water bath. These methods require a source of liquid, a heating tank and a means to both pump the water under pressure to the place of cleaning and to vacuum the dirty cleaning fluid out of the carpet.
The traditional method of cleaning carpets with water utilize portable apparatus which can be taken to the site and, which although transported by any sort of vehicle, are self-contained in that they include a gas fired boiler or the like, a gasoline engine for driving the water and vacuum pump and a storage container for containing the dirty fluid.
Some of the disadvantages of the type of equipment currently in use lies in the fact that it is not permanently installed in the vehicle and therefore, occasionally may be attempted to be moved in an inappropriate vehicle and further when being moved from place to place must be secured in position. Further, this type of apparatus is subject to damage during the continual on and off loading, either at the carpet cleaners place of business where he services the equipment or at the place of cleaning when it is necessary to take the equipment from the vehicle closer to the carpeting. Another disadvantage of this type of equipment lies in the fact that in addition to the additional expense, because of the necessity of making it self-powered, many times the source of power will be a small gasoline engine which requires adequate ventilation and protection for curious by-standers, increasing the cost and the weight.
Further, with the advent of laws which make safety features mandatory upon equipment which is used in the public domain it will become imperative that further precautions be used with respect to this portable equipment.
Prior art known to the inventor dealing with auxiliary functions and apparatus mounted upon and powered by motor vehicles include U.S. Pat. No. 1,846,198 granted to Gulledge on Feb. 23, 1932. This particular patent deals with a truck mounted dusting and spraying apparatus wherein an agitator and a pump are both driven by a power takeoff from the motor of the truck.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,199,090 granted to Palmer on Apr. 30, 1940 teaches the utilization of the rotary motion of the fan belt or the like to drive a compressor system for air cooling, refrigeration or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,467,077 granted to Brunken on Apr. 12, 1949 teaches the concept of a hydraulic coupling or torque converter to control the operation of engine accessories or other instrumentalities driven by the engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,606,624 granted to Chiotte on Aug. 12, 1952 teaches the utilization of an electrical generator system driven directly from a power takeoff shaft of a motor vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,459 granted to LaGrange etal on Dec. 22, 1953 teaches the concept of an automatically closed discharge valve which is controlled by the operation of the main engine of a motor vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,875,746 granted to Brice etal on Mar. 3, 1959 teaches the concept of a particularly configured bracket means for supporting engine driven accessories.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,911,961 granted to McRae on Nov. 10, 1959 relates to an engine accessory drive capable of driving engine accessories at two distinct speed ratios and utilizing a clutch as the linking member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,033,302 granted to Ball on May 8, 1962 teaches the concept of vibration absorbing mounting means for belt driven accessory.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,869 granted to Operdorfer on Aug. 17, 1971 teaches the concept of a clutch engageable pump means for a self-contained car washing apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,878 granted to Clapsaddle Jr. on Aug. 13, 1974 deals with a power takeoff assembly adapted for installation at the front end of the vehicle engine within the engine compartment.
With the above noted prior art and problems in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a self-contained mobile cleaning system wherein the apparatus necessary for cleaning functions are fixedly secured to the interior of a vehicle and the necessary apparatus for performing a cleaning function is selectively driven by the main engine for the vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel mounting arrangement for auxiliary devices located in an engine compartment of greatly reduced size driven by the engine of a motor vehicle.
It is a still another object of the present invention is to provide a self-contained cleaning apparatus wherein the necessary equipment to perform the cleaning function, with the exception of the hoses and the carpet contacting apparatus, are totally self-contained within the vehicle which includes the necessary safety devices to prevent inadvertent operation of the apparatus.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an engine powered steam cleaning apparatus mounted within a truck wherein the happening of a preselected set of events will engage the necessary pumping apparatus and actuate the cleaning operation, an operation finally controlled from the remote cleaning site.